1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and method for tracing calls through a telecommunications network, More particularly, the present invention relates to a system and method for tracing a path of a call through a telecommunications network that corresponds to selected search parameters,
2. Description of the Related Art
There is a need for the ability for conveniently tracing a path of a call through a telecommunications network so that system diagnostics can be efficiently performed or so that a call reported to have a problem can be quickly troubleshot. Typically, a long distance telecommunications network includes a plurality of switches through which calls traverse. Each switch in the network is connected to every other switch by an intermachine trunk group (IMT). Calls travel through the switches in the network via circuits. A circuit is the physical connection between any two switches.
Usually there is only one IMT between a pair of switches. FIG. 1 shows a single IMT 10 connected between exemplary switch 1 and exemplary switch 2. Each circuit in an IMT is assigned a name at each switch that is based on the name of the switch from which the circuit is viewed. When a call in a switch is routed through a circuit to another switch, the circuit is considered to be made up of a terminating trunk group (TTG) leaving the first switch and an originating trunk group (OTG) arriving at the second switch. As a call traverses a switch, the switch generates a call routing record for the call that includes data related to the originating trunk group, the terminating trunk group, the originating port and the terminating port of the call using circuit naming conventions that are based on the point of view of the switch.
In the situation when a call is routed from switch 1 to switch 2 through circuit 11A in FIG. 1, circuit 11A is named 111 IMT TTG at switch 1, for example, and 222IMT OTG at switch 2, for example. When a call in switch 2 is routed through circuit 11B to switch 1, circuit 11B is properly thought of in the reverse as a terminating trunk group (TTG) leaving switch 2 and an originating trunk group incoming to switch 1. Although circuits 11A and 11B are shown as separate circuits for clarity of call direction, they are intended to be the same physical circuit. In the latter situation, circuit 11B is named 222IMT TTG at switch 2, for example, and 111IMT OTG at switch 1, for example. Since the trunk names 111IMT and 222IMT are different names for the same physical circuit 11 between switches 1 and 2, the respective call routing records stored at switch 1 and switch 2 for calls routed through circuit 11 identify the same circuit, but use different identifying names.
Each switch of the telecommunication network also has an associated adjunct processor (AP) that accumulates call record data used for billing purposes. Periodically, the switch downloads call records to the associated AP which are subsequently accessed by a billing host processor located at a remote location. The call records are divided into call detail records (CDRs), private network records (PNRs), operator service records (OSRs), and private operator service records (POSRs) and include data related to the date/time, the switch site, the call record type, the dialed number, the automatic number identification (ANI) and the pretranslated number of a call. The call records at each respective switch contain information about only the calls traversing that switch.
When a call reported to have a problem requires analysis, it is difficult to trace the path of the call through the telecommunications network because the call routing records storing data relating to each individual leg of the call path must be correlated with the call record data stored at each respective adjunct processor for determining the call path. While the call record data stored by each adjunct processor is readily available from a remote location over a network, for example by the billing host processor, the call routing records are available only at each respective switch or from a separate database. This results in an inconvenient and time consuming task because the call routing records and the call record data are not available together.